Face challenges with compassion, love

I always appreciate when the media allows me to have a voice. However, there are some corrections that need to be made to the story about me in the Oct 3 issue.

1) Even though I did some psych nursing over thirty years ago, I’m not a psych nurse but a licensed psychotherapist.

2) Because I don’t adhere to labeling, I see our frailties as our vulnerabilities, not our weaknesses. I don’t believe we are weak.

3) I’ve been practicing and teaching mindfulness for over thirty years so that isn’t new in my healing. Staying more present with compassion, understanding and empathy with all my loss and the pain around it, is!

4) Yes I won a jackpot of $752,000. However, what isn’t told over and over again is that was based on a 20-year annuity. After taking the lump sum and after taxes, less than a third landed in my hands, of which I lived off of for a couple years while writing my book, helped many people and family out, paid off debt, contributed to charitable organizations, etc...and yes, I got lured back into the distraction more than desired. My story all along has been about how insidious distractions can be when we’re hurting and what a breeding ground the casinos can be for that, never mind the addictive component. 5) I see people over and over again, especially people in my field, try to “shame” themselves into healing! That never works. I’ve put everything on the line to point out that no matter how smart, disciplined, accomplished, educated or successful we are, we are only human and vulnerable to life’s most difficult challenges. Healing only occurs through love, compassion, understanding and empathy for our pain, not from shame. I believe that the more we remain autonomous, the more we reinforce that shame. We’re all accountable for our actions, but we also need to remain nonjudgmental so that we can learn and grow, not just feel bad.

I’m trying to have a voice, and using my life to do so, to say, stop hiding and let’s come to together to comfort and help each other through life’s most difficult challenges. The antidote is compassion and love. The trap is you have to feel deserving of it in the midst of your frailties and that doesn’t happen when you are stuck on shame! Making my life an open book and making myself vulnerable to scrutiny will be worth it if you just try for one day to try to find compassion in your challenges and see what a difference it can make. I’m here to help!

The fundraising yard and bake sale is rescheduled to Sunday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 32 Pommogussett Road, Rutland. My eight-week workshop on Healing From Difficult Times will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 23. For more information, call me at 508-954-2090